Alkylaromatic process with catalyst regeneration

ABSTRACT

A process for producing a product aromatic compound is disclosed which uses an on-stream alkylation reactor and an off-stream alkylation reactor, and in which at least a portion of the feed aromatic compound in the effluent stream of off-stream alkylation reactor undergoing regeneration is passed to the on-stream alkylation reactor. An embodiment of this process that uses on-stream and off-stream aromatic byproducts removal zones is also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The application is a Division of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.10/146,349, filed May 14, 2002, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the alkylation of aromatic compounds witholefins using solid catalyst.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

About thirty years ago it became apparent that household laundrydetergents made of heavily branched alkylbenzene sulfonates weregradually polluting rivers and lakes. Solution of the problem led to themanufacture of detergents made of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LABS)and later modified linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (MLABS), both of whichwere found to biodegrade more rapidly than the heavily branched variety.Today, detergents made using LABS and MLABS are known.

LABS are manufactured from linear alkylbenzenes (LAB), and MLABS can bemade from modified linear alkylbenzenes (MLAB). The petrochemicalindustry produces LAB by dehydrogenating linear paraffins to linearolefins and then alkylating benzene with the linear olefins in thepresence of HF. This is the industry's standard process.

Over the last decade, environmental concerns over HF have increased,leading to a search for substitute processes employing catalysts otherthan HF that are equivalent or superior to the standard process. Solidalkylation catalysis to produce LAB, for example, is the subject ofvigorous, ongoing research. Solid alkylation catalysts can also be usedto produce MLAB and are also being researched vigorously. It is knownthat MLAB may be made by dehydrogenating slightly branched paraffins toslightly branched olefins and then alkylating benzene with the slightlybranched olefins in the presence of a solid catalyst. See, for example,U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,111,158 B1 and 6,187,981 B1, which are incorporatedherein by reference.

As desirable as solid catalyst may be as an alternative to liquid HF, itis commonly the case that these catalysts deactivate with use. Allalkylation catalysts, including HF and substitute catalysts for HF, losesome portion of their activity with continued use. However, the solidcatalysts used to date in aromatic alkylation tend to deactivate ratherquickly. Solid catalysts used for alkylation of aromatic compounds byolefins, especially those in the 6 to 22 carbon atom range, usually aredeactivated by gum-type materials that accumulate on the surface of thecatalyst and block reaction sites. These materials include byproducts,such as aromatic (including polynuclear) hydrocarbons in the 10 to 22carbon atom range, that are formed in the dehydrogenation of C₆ to C₂₂paraffins. These materials also include undesired alkylation byproductsof higher molecular weight than the desired monoalkyl benzenes, e.g.,di- and tri-alkyl benzenes, as well as olefin oligomers and otherolefinic compounds.

An alkylation process using a solid alkylation catalyst typicallyincludes means for periodically taking the catalyst out of service andregenerating it by removing these deactivating materials from thecatalyst. For a solid alkylation catalyst, the catalyst life is measuredin terms of time in service at constant conversion betweenregenerations. The longer the time between regenerations, the moredesirable the catalyst and the process. Thus, it is clear that solidcatalyst can be best used in the continuous alkylation of aromatics onlywhere effective and inexpensive means of catalyst regeneration areavailable. Fortunately it has been observed that the deactivatingmaterials can be readily desorbed from the catalyst by washing thecatalyst with the aromatic reactant (e.g., benzene). Thus, catalystreactivation, or catalyst regeneration as the term is more commonlyemployed, is conveniently effected by flushing the catalyst with anaromatic such as benzene to remove the accumulated deactivatingmaterials from the catalyst surface, generally with restoration of 100%of catalyst activity.

A typical prior art means for regenerating the solid catalyst in anaromatic alkylation process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,285. Theeffluent of an alkylation reactor undergoing regeneration combines withthe effluent of an on-stream alkylation reactor, and the combinedeffluent passes to a section of the process for recovering benzene, thealkylated benzene product, and other streams. In U.S. Pat. No.6,069,285, this section comprises a benzene rectifier, a benzenefractionation column, and other product recovery facilities. Part of thebenzene recovered from this section is recycled to the off-streamalkylation reactor to regenerate the deactivated catalyst. Another priorart process passes the effluent of the reactor undergoing regenerationto a separation zone to reject color bodies and to recover benzene thatpasses to the benzene fractionation column of this section.

Besides regeneration, another means for maintaining high catalystactivity is to prevent the previously mentioned aromatic byproductsformed in the dehydrogenation of paraffins from ever entering thealkylation reactors. These aromatic byproducts are believed to include,for example, alkylated benzenes, naphthalenes, other polynucleararomatics, alkylated polynuclear hydrocarbons in the C₁₀-C₁₅ range,indanes, and tetralins, that is, they are aromatics of the same carbonnumber as the paraffin being dehydrogenated and may be viewed asaromatized normal paraffins. They are typically removed using anaromatics removal zone, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,276,231; 5,334,793; and 6,069,285, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference. Fixed bed sorptive separation zonesthat use a particulate sorbent, such as a molecular sieve (e.g., 13 Xzeolite (sodium zeolite X)), are the most common aromatics removalzones.

In a typical fixed bed system, the sorbent is installed in two or morevessels in a parallel flow arrangement, so that when the sorbent bed inone vessel is spent by the accumulation of the aromatic byproductsthereon, the spent vessel is bypassed while continuing uninterruptedoperation through another vessel. A purge stream comprising a purgecomponent, such as C₅ or C₆ paraffin (e.g., normal pentane), is passedthrough the spent sorbent bed in the bypassed vessel in order to purgeor displace unsorbed components of the stream containing the aromaticbyproducts from the void volume between particles of sorbent. Afterpurging, a regenerant or desorbent stream comprising a desorbentcomponent such as C₆ or C₇ aromatic (e.g., benzene), is passed throughthe sorbent bed in the bypassed vessel in order to desorb aromaticbyproducts from the sorbent. Following regeneration, the sorbent bed inthe bypassed vessel is again available for use in sorbing aromaticbyproducts.

Thus, a sorptive separation zone for removing the aromatic byproductstypically produces three effluents, which approximately correspond toeach of the three steps in the cycle of sorption, purge, and desorption.The composition of each of the three effluents can change during thecourse of each step. The first effluent, the sorption effluent, containsunsorbed components (i.e., paraffins and olefins) of the stream fromwhich the aromatic byproducts are removed, and also typically containsthe desorbent component. With its decreased amount of aromaticbyproducts relative to the stream that is passed to the sorptiveseparation zone, this effluent is used further along in the process toproduce alkylaromatics. For example, if the stream that passes to thesorptive separation zone is the dehydrogenation zone effluent, thesorption effluent contains monoolefins and paraffins and thus passesdirectly to the alkylation zone.

The second effluent, the purging effluent, contains the purge component,unsorbed components of the stream from which the aromatic byproductswere sorbed, and often the desorbent component. The third effluent isthe desorption effluent, which contains the desorbent component, thearomatic byproducts, and the purge component. The purging and desorptioneffluents typically are separated in two distillation columns. Thedesorption effluent passes to one column, which produces an overheadstream containing the desorbent and purge components and a bottom streamcontaining the aromatic byproducts which is rejected from the process.The overhead stream of the first column and the purging effluent pass toa second column, which separates the entering hydrocarbons into anoverhead stream containing the purge component and a bottom streamcontaining the desorbent component and unsorbed components of the streamfrom which the aromatic byproducts are removed. The overhead stream ofthe second column is used as the purge stream. The bottom stream of thesecond column is used in the process to produce alkylaromatics. In theexample described above where the stream that passes to the sorptiveseparation zone is the dehydrogenation zone effluent, the bottom streamof the second column contains benzene, monoolefins, and paraffins andflows directly to the alkylation zone. Some of the benzene in thisbottom stream passes through the alkylation reactor unreacted, and isrecovered in the previously mentioned section for separating thealkylation reactor effluent.

Unfortunately, the prior art uses benzene inefficiently. Separating,recovering, and recycling benzene for the on-stream alkylation reactoris a huge cost by itself. But the prior art requires much more than justthat amount of benzene, because of the benzene for catalyst regenerationand/or sorbent desorption. The rewards of large reductions in capitalinvestment and operating expenses are the incentive to developing newways to use benzene more efficiently in aromatic alkylation processes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a solid catalyst alkylation process that makesmultiple uses of feed aromatic that is used to regenerate the catalyst.In one embodiment of this invention, feed aromatic in the effluent of anoff-stream reactor that is undergoing regeneration passes without aseparation step to an on-stream alkylation reactor. Thus, feed aromaticfrom regeneration is re-used for alkylation. In a second embodiment,feed aromatic in the effluent of an off-stream reactor passes without anintermediate separation to a sorbent bed that is undergoing desorption.In this way, feed aromatic from regeneration is re-used for desorption.In a variation of this second embodiment, some of the feed aromatic inthe effluent of the sorbent bed that is undergoing desorption passes toan on-stream reactor, so that feed aromatic in the sorbent bed effluentis used for a total of three times before passing to the productrecovery section. In this variation of the second embodiment, preferablythe effluent of the sorbent bed undergoing regeneration passes to aseparation section associated with the sorbent bed, and a streamcomprising the feed aromatic is recovered from the separation sectionand passes to the on-stream reactor. All of these embodiments savecapital investment and operating expenses compared to the prior artprocesses, since unnecessary separation, recovery, and recycling ofbenzene are eliminated.

A broad objective of this invention is to produce alkylated aromatics.Another objective is to make alkylated aromatics using a solidalkylation catalyst. A third objective is to produce alkylated benzenesin a process that uses benzene more efficiently or for more uses thanthe prior art processes. A fourth objective is to reduce contaminationby color bodies or olefinic compounds of the on-stream alkylationreactor effluent and/or the product alkylated benzenes.

Accordingly, in one embodiment this invention is a process for producinga product aromatic compound. An aromatic feed stream comprising a feedaromatic compound and an olefinic feed stream comprising the monoolefinpass to an on-stream selective alkylation reactor. In the on-streamselective alkylation reactor, the feed aromatic compound is selectivelyalkylated by reacting the feed aromatic compound and the monoolefin inthe presence of a solid alkylation catalyst at alkylation conditions toform a product aromatic compound. The alkylation conditions aresufficient to at least partially deactivate the solid alkylationcatalyst. An on-stream reactor effluent stream comprising the productaromatic compound is recovered from the on-stream selective alkylationreactor. At least a portion of the on-stream reactor effluent streampasses to a product recovery section. An alkylated product streamcomprising the product aromatic compound is recovered from the productrecovery section. A regenerant stream comprising the feed aromaticcompound passes to an off-stream selective alkylation reactor containingthe solid alkylation catalyst, which is at least partially deactivated.The off-stream selective alkylation reactor operates at regenerationconditions sufficient to at least partially reactivate the solidalkylation catalyst. An off-stream reactor effluent stream comprisingthe feed aromatic compound is recovered from the off-stream selectivealkylation reactor. At least some of the feed aromatic compound in theoff-stream reactor effluent stream passes to the on-stream selectivealkylation reactor before passing to the product recovery section. Thefunctions of the on-stream selective alkylation reactor and theoff-stream selective alkylation reactor are at least intermittentlyshifted by operating the on-stream selective alkylation reactor tofunction as the off-stream selective alkylation reactor and operatingthe off-stream selective alkylation reactor to function as the on-streamselective alkylation reactor.

In another embodiment, this invention is a process for producing aproduct aromatic compound. A C₆-C₂₂ paraffinic compound isdehydrogenated in a dehydrogenation zone and a monoolefin is recoveredfrom the dehydrogenation zone. Aromatic byproducts are formed during thedehydrogenation of the C₆-C₂₂ paraffinic compound. A dehydrogenationeffluent stream comprising the paraffinic compound, the monoolefin, andthe aromatic byproducts is recovered from the dehydrogenation zone. Thedehydrogenation effluent stream has a first concentration of thearomatic byproducts. Some of the aromatic byproducts are selectivelyremoved from at least a portion of the dehydrogenation effluent streamin an on-stream aromatic byproducts removal bed. The on-stream aromaticbyproducts removal bed contains a sorbent operating at sorptionconditions effective to selectively sorb the aromatic byproducts. Anon-stream bed effluent stream comprising the monoolefin is recoveredfrom the on-stream aromatic byproducts removal bed. The on-stream bedeffluent stream has a second concentration of the aromatic byproductsthat is less than the first concentration. An olefinic feed streamcomprising the monoolefin is formed from at least some of the on-streambed effluent stream. The olefinic feed stream and an aromatic feedstream comprising a feed aromatic compound pass to an on-streamselective alkylation reactor. In the on-stream selective alkylationreactor, the feed aromatic compound is selectively alkylated by reactingthe feed aromatic compound and the monoolefin in the presence of a solidalkylation catalyst at alkylation conditions to form a product aromaticcompound. The alkylation conditions are sufficient to at least partiallydeactivate the solid alkylation catalyst. An on-stream reactor effluentstream comprising the product aromatic compound is recovered from theon-stream selective alkylation reactor. At least a portion of theon-stream reactor effluent stream passes to a product recovery section.An alkylated product stream comprising the product aromatic compound isrecovered from the product recovery section. A regenerant streamcomprising the feed aromatic compound passes to an off-stream selectivealkylation reactor containing the solid alkylation catalyst, which is atleast partially deactivated. The off-stream selective alkylation reactoroperates at regeneration conditions sufficient to at least partiallyreactivate the solid alkylation catalyst. An off-stream reactor effluentstream comprising the feed aromatic compound is recovered from theoff-stream selective alkylation reactor. Some of the off-stream reactoreffluent stream passes to an off-stream aromatic byproducts removal bedwhich contains sorbent that contains sorbed aromatic byproducts. Atdesorption conditions, the aromatic byproducts are at least partiallydesorbed from the sorbent in the off-stream aromatic byproducts removalbed. An off-stream bed effluent stream comprising the aromaticbyproducts and the feed aromatic compound is recovered from theoff-stream aromatic byproducts removal bed. Some of the feed aromaticcompound in the off-stream bed effluent stream passes to the on-streamselective alkylation reactor. At least intermittently the functions ofthe on-stream aromatic byproducts removal bed and the off-streamaromatic byproducts removal bed are shifted by operating the off-streamaromatic byproducts removal bed to function as the on-stream aromaticbyproducts removal bed and operating the on-stream aromatic byproductsremoval bed to function as the off-stream aromatic byproducts removalbed. The functions of the on-stream selective alkylation reactor and theoff-stream selective alkylation reactor are also at least intermittentlyshifted by operating the on-stream selective alkylation reactor tofunction as the off-stream selective alkylation reactor and operatingthe off-stream selective alkylation reactor to function as the on-streamselective alkylation reactor.

Other objectives and embodiments of this invention are described in thedetailed description.

INFORMATION DISCLOSURE

U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,285 (Fritsch, et al.) describes an alkylationprocess using two alkylation reactors containing solid catalyst. Theeffluent from the off-stream reactor combines with the effluent from theon-stream reactor, and the combined stream flows to a benzene rectifier.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,231 (Kocal et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,793(Kocal) describe aromatics removal zones.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,219 (Kojima et al.) describes measuring bromineindexes and color in the manufacture of linear alkylbenzenes and linearalkylbenzene sulfonates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The drawing shows an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Processes for the production of alkylated aromatic compounds, with andwithout the removal of aromatic byproducts, are well known and need notbe described in detail herein. These processes are described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,069,285; 6,111,158 B1; and 6,187,981 B1. Briefly, an olefinfeed stream reacts with an aromatic feed stream. The olefin feed streamcontains C₆-C₂₂ monoolefins but may also contain C₆-C₂₂ paraffin andC₆-C₂₂ aromatic byproducts. The monoolefins may be linear or branched.When present, the branched monoolefins may have one or two methyl orethyl branches, but more branches and branches with more carbon numbersare possible. The aromatic feed stream contains an aromatic compound,typically benzene or alkylated derivatives of benzene. The alkylatedderivatives of benzene may include toluene, xylenes, and highermethylated benzenes, ethylbenzene and higher ethylated benzenes. In thediscussion that follows and for purposes of illustration, the feedaromatic compound is referred to as benzene, because it is believed thatthis invention will be most commonly practiced using benzene. However,this is not intended to limit the scope of this invention as set forthin the claims.

Alkylation takes place in a selective alkylation reactor in the presenceof the solid alkylation catalyst. The alkylation conditions may be anyconditions suitable for the catalyst, but at least partial liquid phaseconditions are preferred. The solid alkylation catalyst typically has anacid function and is better known as a solid acid catalyst. Suitablesolid acid catalysts include amorphous silica-alumina, crystallinealuminosilicate materials such as zeolites and molecular sieves,naturally occurring and man-made clays including pillared clays,sulfated oxides such as sulfonated zirconia, traditional Friedel-Craftscatalysts such as aluminum chloride and zinc chloride, and solid acidsgenerally. Suitable solid alkylation catalysts are listed in U.S. Pat.No. 6,069,285, issued to T. R. Fritsch, et al., the teachings of whichwith respect to solid alkylation catalysts are incorporated herein byreference. Such catalysts include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,196,574 and 5,344,997, both issued to J. A. Kocal, which disclose afluorided silica-alumina catalyst, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,732 issuedto K. Z. Steigleder, et al., which describes an ultra-low sodiumsilica-alumina catalyst. In this invention, the nature of the solidalkylation catalyst is not critical to the success of this invention andis largely a matter of choice to be made by the practitioner.

In this invention, two or more selective alkylation reactors are used,with at least one on-stream where alkylation occurs and at least oneoff-stream where catalyst regeneration takes place. Regeneration iseffected by contacting the catalyst in the off-stream reactor with astream comprising the feed aromatic compound (e.g., benzene).

However, after a reactor has been taken off-stream but before catalystregeneration begins, the catalyst is typically purged to remove at leastsome of the unreacted monoolefins, paraffins, and alkylated benzeneproduct from the void volume of the now off-stream reactor. Off-streamreactor purging is performed by contacting the catalyst in theoff-stream reactor with a purging stream, which may comprise anysuitable hydrocarbon but preferably comprises the feed aromatic compound(e.g., benzene). The source of this purging stream can be any suitablesupply of benzene, for example, such as a recycle stream from thehereinafter-described product recovery section, the effluent stream ofanother reactor (on-stream or off-stream), or an external supply ofbenzene.

The off-stream reactor purging conditions are not critical to thesuccess of this invention. The off-stream reactor purging conditions canbe any conditions that are effective for at least partially purging thevoid volume of the alkylation catalyst. Although olefins may contact thecatalyst bed during off-stream reactor purging, preferably no olefinscontact or pass to the catalyst during this purging. Preferably theoff-stream reactor purging conditions comprise at least a partial liquidphase.

The contacting conditions for purging the catalyst in the off-streamreactor can be the same throughout the off-stream reactor purging,although some changes could be made. Although the liquid hourly spacevelocity (LHSV) of the benzene-containing stream may change, thecontacting temperature is generally kept constant. This off-streamreactor purging can be started by simply stopping the flow of theolefinic feed stream to the on-stream reactor, thereby taking theon-stream reactor off-stream. This leaves substantially only benzeneflowing to the off-stream reactor.

During off-stream reactor purging, however, the contacting temperatureis preferably low enough that the previously mentioned gum-typematerials that have accumulated on the catalyst are not removed. Theoff-stream reactor purging temperature is typically no more than 5° C.(9° F.) greater than the alkylation temperature. The temperature isusually between about 120° C. (248° F.) and about 170° C. (338° F.). Insome portions of the alkylation reactor, the temperature during thisstep may be less than the temperature during alkylation. This is becausethere is less temperature rise due to less exothermic heat because less(or no) alkylation reactions are taking place.

During this off-stream reactor purging, the benzene-containing streampurges or displaces reactants and products from the void volume withinthe off-stream reactor. The composition of the off-stream reactoreffluent will change during off-stream reactor purging. Initially, theeffluent will consist mostly of benzene, unreacted monoolefin,paraffins, and alkylated benzene product. As the off-stream reactorpurging proceeds and these components are displaced from the reactor,the reactor effluent will contain more benzene. As the reactor effluentcontains more benzene, the Saybolt color of the reactor effluent mayrise, indicating fewer color bodies in the reactor effluent. As usedherein, color bodies are components of a mixture that impart color tothe mixture, and Saybolt color refers to Saybolt color as determined byASTM D-156-00, Standard Test Method for Saybolt Color of PetroleumProducts (Saybolt Chronometer Method), which is available from ASTMInternational, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700, West Conshohocken,Pa., USA. This off-stream reactor purging may be deemed finished whenthe concentration of unreacted monoolefins, paraffins, and alkylatedbenzene product in the reactor effluent stream drops to a relatively lowlevel as measured by gas chromatography, for example. Alternatively, theoff-stream reactor purging may be considered done when at least onereactor void volume of benzene has flowed through the off-stream reactorduring purging. A third possibility is to say that this off-streamreactor purging is complete when a specified period of time has elapsed.A fourth method is feasible if the Saybolt color of the reactor effluentrises during the purging. In that case, it may be said that thisoff-stream reactor purging is complete when the Saybolt color has risenby a specified number or has reached a specified number.

During off-stream reactor purging, at least a portion of the effluentrecovered from the off-stream reactor may pass to any suitabledestination, such as to another reactor (on-stream or off-stream), to anexternal location, or to the section of the process that is normallyused for separating the on-stream reactor effluent. This section iscommonly called the product recovery section and it is used to recoverbenzene for recycling, unreacted monoolefins and paraffins forrecycling, and the alkylated benzene as product. It typically comprisesa benzene distillation column, a paraffin distillation column, and otherdistillation columns. The term portion as used herein in reference to astream includes but is not limited to an aliquot portion of the stream,which is a portion of the stream that has the essentially the samecomposition as the stream.

Once off-stream reactor purging is complete, catalyst regeneration canbegin. The catalyst regeneration conditions are not critical to thesuccess of this invention. The regeneration conditions can be anyconditions that are effective for at least partially reactivating thealkylation catalyst. Although olefins may contact the catalyst bedduring regeneration, preferably no olefins contact or pass to thecatalyst during regeneration. Preferably the regeneration conditionscomprise at least a partial liquid phase.

The contacting conditions can be the same throughout the regeneration,but typically some changes in conditions are made. Commonly, the liquidhourly space velocity (LHSV) of the benzene-containing stream or thecontacting temperature are changed during regeneration. Often, the LHSVof the benzene-containing stream is kept constant while the regenerationtemperature is varied during the course of three steps.

The first step is a heat-up step. This step typically begins when thetemperature of the off-stream reactor is increased above the temperatureduring off-stream reactor purging. Raising the temperature thus can markthe end of the off-stream reactor purging, if the purging has notalready been deemed finished. A flow of the regenerant (i.e., the feedaromatic compound, such as benzene) is started to the off-stream reactorat or before the start of the heat-up step.

In this step, the regeneration temperature is higher than that duringoff-stream reactor purging but low relative to that during the secondregeneration step. The temperature during this first step starts at thetemperature at the end of the off-stream reactor purging. In this step,the inlet temperature is raised by from about 50° C. (90° F.) to about200° C. (360° F.) above the temperature of the off-stream reactorpurging. The outlet temperature of the bed increases with the inlettemperature but lags behind the inlet temperature. The inlet temperatureis usually raised to a temperature that depends on the particularcatalyst and the nature of the catalyst deactivation. For example, for afluorided silica-alumina catalyst, the inlet temperature is usuallyraised to between about 200° C. (362° F.) and about the criticaltemperature of the aromatic feed compound (e.g., benzene), andpreferably raised to about 250° C. (482° F.). The manner and rate ofinlet temperature increase is not critical to the success of thisinvention. Preferably, however, the inlet temperature is increased at arate that corresponds to raising the temperature from the off-streamreactor purging temperature to the target inlet temperature of thesecond regeneration step during the time period for passing a reactorvoid volume of benzene through the off-stream reactor. The temperaturemay be ramped up steadily or can be increased step-wise with temperatureholds. Any suitable method may be used to raise the temperature. Onemethod is heating the benzene by indirect heat exchange and then passingit into the reactor.

As the temperature increases, the benzene-containing stream begins toremove the previously mentioned gum-type materials that accumulated onthe surface of the catalyst and block reaction sites. Since some ofthese gum-like materials typically have some color (i.e., are colorbodies), the presence of these materials in the regeneration effluentmay begin to lower its Saybolt color. This step may be deemed completewhen the regeneration effluent's Saybolt color begins to decline.Alternatively, this step may be considered done when the inlettemperature has been increased by about a specified fraction (e.g.,one-tenth, one-third, one-half, three-fourths) of the difference betweenthe off-stream reactor purging temperature and the target inlettemperature of the second regeneration step. Since the composition ofthe regeneration effluent will change during this step, it is alsopossible to measure the concentration of the gum-like materials in theregeneration effluent stream, and to end this step when these materialshave reach a specified concentration.

During this first step, at least a portion of the effluent recoveredfrom the off-stream reactor passes to an on-stream reactor. In this way,substantially all of the components that are displaced from theoff-stream reactor during this first step can be recovered in theeffluent of the on-stream reactor. Of course, if the displaced benzenereacts in the on-stream reactor, what will be recovered in the on-streamreactor's effluent will include the product of any such reactions. Ineffect, this displaced benzene is used twice, for regenerating thecatalyst in the off-stream reactor and for effecting alkylation withinthe on-stream reactor. Passing unreacted reactants such as benzene tothe on-stream reactor gives them a second opportunity to react. But,regardless whether the displaced components react in the on-streamreactor or not, the fact that the on-stream reactor effluent passes to abenzene column and conventional facilities in the product recoverysection means that the displaced components can be recovered and, ifappropriate, recycled. Passing alkylated benzenes to the on-streamreactor does not adversely affect the yields of the process to asignificant extent.

If a sufficiently large amount of benzene is passed to the off-streamreactor during the first step, then that benzene itself will appear inthe off-stream reactor's effluent. That benzene in the effluent will bein addition to the benzene that was originally in the void volume of theoff-stream reactor prior to the start of the first step. To the extentthis happens, then at least a portion of the benzene passed to theoff-stream reactor during the first step will have dual use. Not only isit used for regenerating the catalyst in the off-stream reactor, but itis used, or at least present, within the on-stream reactor effectingalkylation.

The second step continues the temperature heat-up and usually includes ahold period at the elevated temperature. In this step, the inlettemperature of the off-stream alkylation reactor is raised the rest(e.g., two-thirds, one-half, or one-fourth) of the way to the targetinlet temperature of the second step, which is typically from about 50°C. (90° F.) to about 200° C. (360° F.) above the temperature of thefirst step. The target inlet temperature is also typically from about200° C. (392° F.) to about the critical temperature of the feed aromaticcompound (e.g., benzene). As in the case of the heat-up during the firstregeneration step, the manner and rate of temperature increase are notcritical to the success of this invention. But preferably the rate oftemperature increase during the heat-up portion of this step issubstantially the same as that during the first regeneration step. Oncethe inlet temperature has reached its target inlet temperature, thetemperature is typically held there for a specified period of time thatdepends on the nature of the catalyst and the extent and nature of thecatalyst deactivation, typically from about 2 to about 20 hours. As theheat-up occurs, the outlet temperature of the reactor will lag behindthe inlet temperature, but by the end of the hold period the outlettemperature will have generally stabilized and may have risen to atemperature close to that of the inlet temperature, depending on factorssuch as heat loss from the reactor. If the first regeneration step hasnot already been deemed finished by one of the previously-mentionedcriteria, the time when the outlet temperature begins to increase inresponse to the raising of the inlet temperature (or a time precedingthat time by some appropriate interval) can be used to mark the end ofthe first step.

As the temperature continues to increase and then is maintained at anelevated level, the benzene-containing stream continues to remove thegum-type materials from the surface of the catalyst. As the catalystbecomes depleted in these materials, the amount and concentration ofthese materials in the reactor effluent will decline. This second stepcan be said to be finished when the concentration of gum-like materialsin the regeneration effluent stream drops to a relatively low level.Alternatively, this step can be considered complete when the time of thehold period has been reached. This step may also be deemed complete whenthe regeneration effluent's Saybolt color, which had fallen at the startof the second step, begins to rise. This step may also be considereddone when a specified volume of benzene has flowed through theoff-stream reactor during this step.

The third step is a cool-down step. The inlet regeneration temperatureis reduced from the temperature at the end of the second step to thealkylation temperature. The manner and rate of temperature decrease isnot critical to the success of this invention. The temperature may beramped down steadily or dropped step-wise with temperature holds. As thetemperature decreases, less of the gum-type materials are removed fromthe catalyst. Typically, the temperature is decreased to a temperaturethat is suitable for re-introducing the olefinic feed stream to thereactor. When the olefinic feed stream is re-introduced, thereby puttingthe off-stream reactor back on-stream, this step is deemed completed.

A preferred embodiment of this invention employs a sorptive aromaticsremoval zone to remove aromatic byproducts formed during dehydrogenationof paraffins to produce the olefinic feed stream. In this preferredembodiment of this invention, during the second step and preferably alsothe third step, at least a portion of the effluent recovered from theoff-stream reactor passes to an off-stream aromatics removal bed that isundergoing desorption. Aromatic byproducts are desorbed from the sorbentin the aromatics removal bed. Thus, any benzene that was passed to theoff-stream reactor during the first, second, or third steps and whichenters the off-stream aromatics removal bed for desorption has two uses.First it is used to purge or regenerate the catalyst in the off-streamreactor, and then it is used to desorb aromatic byproducts from theoff-stream aromatics removal bed.

The sorbent desorption conditions are not critical to the success ofthis invention. The desorption conditions can be any conditions that areeffective for at least partially desorbing the aromatic byproducts fromthe sorbent. If the desorption temperature is different from theregeneration temperature, the effluent of the off-stream reactor can beheated or cooled as needed. Preferably the desorption conditionscomprise at least a partial liquid phase. Suitable sorbents aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,276,231; 5,334,793; and 6,069,285. Thenature of the sorbent is not critical to the success of this inventionand is largely a matter of choice to be made by the practitioner.

The effluent of the aromatics removal bed undergoing desorptiontypically passes to a separation section associated with the aromaticsremoval zone. This section usually comprises two distillation columns ora dividing wall distillation column. The aromatic byproducts in thedesorption effluent are rejected from the process in a high-boilingstream. But the benzene, olefins, and paraffins that enter thisseparation section (via either the effluent of an aromatics removal bedundergoing desorption or the effluent of an aromatics removal bedundergoing purging) pass to an on-stream alkylation reactor to be usedin the alkylation reaction. Thus, this invention allows for benzene thatis passed to an off-stream reactor for regeneration to have as many asthree uses before it passes to the product recovery section downstreamof the alkylation reactors. The first use is for regenerating thecatalyst in the off-stream reactor, and the second use is for desorbingaromatic byproducts from an off-stream aromatics removal bed. The thirduse, which follows the second use, is for effecting alkylation in anon-stream reactor.

Of course, the regeneration effluent recovered during the first, oroff-stream reactor purge, step of the three-step regeneration methodcould be passed to an aromatics removal bed that is undergoingdesorption, rather than to an on-stream alkylation reactor as describedpreviously. But doing so could cause valuable alkylated benzene productand unreacted paraffins to be lost from the process. If these alkylatedbenzenes exit the aromatics removal bed during desorption, they wouldpass to the previously mentioned separation section associated with thearomatics removal zone. Since these alkylated benzenes are even higherboiling than the aromatic byproducts, these valuable products would berejected from the process in the previously mentioned high-boilingstream along with the aromatic byproducts. This would hurt productyields.

When no alkylation reactor is undergoing regeneration, and particularlyin the case of the previously described common three-step regenerationprocedure when no alkylation reactor is undergoing either the second orthird regeneration steps, there may nevertheless be a need for benzeneto desorb an aromatics removal bed. Conversely, when no aromaticsremoval bed is being desorbed, an alkylation reactor may need to beregenerated. That is, there may be occasions when the times fordesorption of an aromatics removal bed and for regeneration of analkylation reactor do not coincide. In the former case, benzene fordesorption may be taken from any suitable source, such as the overheadof the benzene column in the separation section downstream of thealkylation reactors. In the latter case, the regeneration effluent fromthe off-stream reactor may be passed (or may continue to be passed) tothe on-stream alkylation reactor, may be passed to the previouslymentioned benzene column, or may be passed to the separation sectionassociated with the aromatic byproducts removal zone.

Although up to this point this description has been in terms of removingaromatic byproducts from the effluent of a paraffin dehydrogenationzone, a person of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that anaromatics byproducts removal zone may be placed in one or more otherlocations in typical dehydrogenation-alkylation processes. One of thereasons why these additional locations are possible is that typicaldehydrogenation-alkylation processes can use several optional zones orflow schemes. As for the dehydrogenation zone itself, the nature of thedehydrogenation, conditions, and process flow are not critical to thesuccess of this invention and is largely a matter of choice to be madeby the practitioner, so long as the dehydrogenation zone forms somearomatic byproducts.

Having thus been formed, the aromatic byproducts may of course beselectively removed from the dehydrogenated product stream, which isrecovered from the dehydrogenation zone. Where the dehydrogenatedproduct stream passes to a stripping separation zone (e.g., a strippingcolumn to remove light hydrocarbons), another location for the aromaticbyproducts removal zone is on the stripping effluent stream that isrecovered from the stripping separation zone. Third, where the overheadliquid stream of the paraffin column is recycled to the dehydrogenationzone, which is normally the case in commercial applications, thearomatic byproducts may be selectively removed from that recycle stream.Fourth, where the process includes a selective monoolefin hydrogenationzone, the aromatic byproducts may be selectively removed from theselective monoolefin hydrogenation product stream, which is recoveredfrom that zone. Fifth, where the process includes a selective diolefinhydrogenation zone, the aromatic byproducts may be selectively removedfrom the selective diolefin hydrogenation product stream, which isrecovered from that zone. The aromatics removal zone is preferablylocated between the dehydrogenation zone and the selective alkylationzone because the aromatic byproducts are preferably selectively removedprior to entering the selective alkylation zone. These locations setforth above are not necessarily equivalent in terms of the requiredequipment, such as heaters, heat exchangers, vessels, coolers, and etc.to practice our invention. Those skilled in the art of hydrocarbonprocessing are able to design and provide the required equipment. But,regardless which location is selected for the bed of the aromaticbyproducts removal zone in its sorption step, the bed's locations forits subsequent purging and desorption steps are as described herein.

At least a portion of the aromatic byproducts are removed so as toreduce the concentration of the aromatic byproducts in the olefinic feedstream to generally less than 2 wt-%, preferably less than about 1 wt-%,and more preferably less than 0.5 wt-% aromatic byproducts.

The drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the subject invention.The drawing is presented solely for purposes of illustration and is notintended to limit the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.The drawing shows only the equipment and lines necessary for anunderstanding of the invention and does not show equipment such aspumps, compressors, heat exchangers, and valves which are not necessaryfor an understanding of the invention and which are well known topersons of ordinary skill in the art of hydrocarbon processing.

The drawing shows two alkylation reactors 48 and 50. Each reactorcontains solid alkylation catalyst. Reactor 48 is on-stream and in usefor alkylating benzene with olefins. Reactor 50 is off-stream foroff-stream reactor purging or regeneration of the catalyst. Although notshown in the drawing, there may be one or more other on-stream reactorsor other off-stream reactors, and they may be in a series- orparallel-flow arrangement. Valve 36 is open and valve 38 is closed, sothat the olefin- and benzene-containing reactant stream flowing in line31 passes through lines 32, 40, and 44 to on-stream reactor 48. Thus,there is no flow through lines 34 and 42 to off-stream reactor 50. Valve60 is open and valve 132 is closed so that the effluent of on-streamreactor 48 passes through lines 52, 56, 64, and 68 to the benzenedistillation column 70.

The drawing also shows three sorbent-containing beds, 20, 162, and 146.Each sorbent bed is performing a different function. Sorbent bed 20 ison-stream and functions to remove aromatic byproducts from adehydrogenated product stream flowing in line 14. Sorbent bed 162 isoff-stream for off-stream sorbent bed purging, and a purging streamcontaining n-pentane, which flows in line 156, is purging its voidvolume. Sorbent bed 146 is also off-stream and aromatic byproducts onits sorbent are being desorbed by a desorbent stream containing benzenewhich flows in line 122. Each sorbent bed is shown with an inlet valveand an inlet line (16 and 18 for bed 20, 158 and 160 for bed 162, and142 and 144 for bed 146, respectively), and an outlet line and an outletvalve (24 and 26 for bed 20, 164 and 166 for bed 162, and 148 and 150for bed 146, respectively). The depicted arrangement of the inlet andoutlet valves and lines of the beds permits the inlet and outlet of eachbed to be closed, so that, using other additional valves and lines whichare not shown but which a person of ordinary skill in the art canprovide, the function of each bed can be periodically shifted tofunction as that of one of the other two beds in the drawing. Thus, inaddition to being capable of functioning for sorption as shown in thedrawing, on-stream bed 20 is also capable of functioning in the positionshown in the drawing for either off-stream bed 162 (off-stream sorbentbed purging) or off-stream bed 146 (desorption). Similarly, off-streambed 162 is also capable of functioning in the position shown for eitheron-stream bed 20 or off-stream bed 146, and off-stream bed 146 is alsocapable of functioning in the position shown for either on-stream bed 20or off-stream bed 162. Accordingly, in normal operation, the on-streambed 20 and off-stream beds 162 and 146 can be periodically shifted, sothat on-stream bed 20 functions as off-stream bed 162, off-stream bed162 functions as off-stream bed 146, and off-stream bed 146 functions ason-stream bed 20.

Additional beds (not shown) may also be available for functioning in thepositions shown for any of beds 20, 162, and 146. The number of bedsrequired to operate the process depends on many factors, including theduration of the on-stream sorption, off-stream sorbent bed purging, andoff-stream desorption functions; the desired extent of removal ofaromatics byproducts during sorption; the desired recovery of paraffinsand olefins during off-stream sorbent bed purging; and capital andoperating costs. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art canreadily determine the optimum number of beds required to meet thedesired objectives. In general, however, at least one sorbent bed isrequired, since even a single bed can function first in the position ofbed 20, then in the position of bed 162, and finally in the position ofbed 146, before functioning once again in the position of bed 20. Morecommonly, two or more beds are used, so that, as shown in the drawing,while one bed is functioning in the position of bed 20, other beds arefunctioning in the positions of beds 162 and 146. By shifting thefunctions of one or more beds, the removal of aromatic byproducts fromthe dehydrogenated product stream flowing in line 14 can range from abatchwise operation with relatively long interruptions between periodsof removal to an essentially continuous operation, although in practicethe removal may even then be semi-continuous due to short but finitetimes required for shifting functions. Likewise, the off-stream sorbentbed purging and desorption functions may occur batchwise and relativelyinfrequently or essentially continuously.

Referring now to the dehydrogenation zone, a paraffin feed streamcomprising an admixture of C₁₀-C₁₅ normal and branched paraffins ischarged via line 10. The paraffin feed stream is usually obtained inpart from the product of a paraffin adsorptive separation zone and inpart from recycled paraffins recovered from the stream in line 76,although the adsorptive separation zone, the recovery of paraffins fromstream 76, and the combination of these two sources of paraffins are notshown in the drawing. The paraffins enter dehydrogenation zone 12, wherethe paraffins are contacted with a dehydrogenation catalyst in thepresence of hydrogen at conditions that effect the conversion of asignificant amount of the paraffins to the corresponding olefins. Somearomatic byproducts are formed, and some diolefins may also be formed. Adehydrogenated product stream containing unreacted paraffins,monoolefins, and aromatic byproducts passes through line 14, valve 16,and line 18, and enters bed 20, which is on-stream for removal ofaromatic byproducts. On-stream bed 20 contains a molecular sievesorbent, which sorbs aromatic byproducts and removes them from thedehydrogenated product stream.

The effluent of on-stream bed 20 passes through line 24, valve 26, andline 28. It combines with a stream containing benzene, C₁₀-C₁₅ paraffinsand olefins, and possibly a minor amount of n-pentane that is flowing inline 30. The combined stream flows through line 31, line 32, valve 36,and line 40. Since reactor 48 is on-stream, valve 92 is closed and noregenerant benzene is flowing through lines 88 and 96, so that thestream in line 40 is thus the inlet stream for on-stream reactor 48flowing in line 44. The stream in line 44 may contain water butpreferably the water content is minimized for most solid alkylationcatalysts. Monoolefins alkylate benzene to produce alkylbenzenes inon-stream reactor 48. Reactor effluent containing alkylbenzenes,unreacted benzene, C₁₀-C₁₅ paraffins, n-pentane, and possibly waterflows through line 52, line 56, valve 60, and line 64. Since reactor 50is off-stream, valve 62 is closed so that there is no flow through line58, valve 62, and line 66. Reactor effluent flows through line 68 tobenzene column 70. Benzene column 70 produces a bottom stream in line 74which contains alkylbenzenes and paraffins and which is sent toconventional product recovery facilities 80. Conventional productrecovery facilities 80 separate the bottom stream into aparaffin-containing stream 76, a product stream containing the desiredalkylbenzenes in line 78, and a stream containing heavier alkylbenzenesin line 82. Any suitable conventional facilities 80 may be used, sincethis invention is not limited to any particular conventional facilities80. Typically, conventional facilities 80 comprises one distillationcolumn, called a paraffin column, which produces the paraffin-containingstream as an overhead stream, and a second distillation column, calledan alkylbenzene column, which separates the paraffin column's bottomstream into an overhead stream containing the desired alkylbenzenes anda bottom stream containing the heavier alkylbenzenes.

A makeup benzene stream enters benzene column 70 in line 72. Althoughnot shown in the drawing, the overhead system of benzene column 70typically includes an overhead condenser and an overhead receiver. Theoverhead system may also comprise a water boot or other conventionalfacilities for rejecting water from the process, since the makeupbenzene stream may be wet. Benzene is recovered from the upper portionof benzene column 70. The drawing shows this benzene flowing in a singlestream through line 84, with lines and valves that permit employingportions of this benzene for four different uses in the process. First,there is recycle benzene to the on-stream reactor (via line 85, valve87, and line 89). Second, regenerant benzene is used for reactor 48 whenreactor 48 is off-stream (via lines 86 and 88, valve 92, and line 96).Third, regenerant benzene is available for reactor 50 when reactor 50 isoff-stream (via lines 86 and 90, valve 94, and line 98). Finally,benzene can be used for desorbing off-stream bed 146 (via line 100,valve 102, and line 104). If desired, however, benzene for each of theseuses may be taken as one or more streams from one or more differentlocations in the upper portion of benzene column 70, such as a slipstream of overhead vapor or reflux or as a sidedraw stream.

One portion of the overhead benzene stream flows to on-stream reactor 48by flowing via lines 84 and 85, valve 87, and line 89. Valve 87 can beused to regulate the flow rate of this portion in order to maintain adesired quantity of benzene flowing to on-stream reactor 48. Thisportion combines with a stream containing benzene, C₁₀-C₁₅ paraffins andolefins, and possibly a minor amount of n-pentane that is flowing inline 120 to form the stream flowing in line 30. As described previously,the stream in line 30 combines with the stream in line 28 to form thestream in line 31, which flows through line 32, valve 36, line 40, andline 44, and enters on-stream reactor 48.

When off-stream reactor 50 is undergoing regeneration using benzene asregenerant, another portion of the overhead stream in line 84 passes toreactor 50. This portion flows through line 84, line 86, line 90, valve94, and line 98. Since reactor 50 is off-stream, valve 38 is closed andthere is no flow through lines 34 and 42. Consequently, the portionflowing in line 98 flows through line 46 and enters reactor 50. Thisportion washes and/or reacts away heavy byproducts from the alkylationcatalyst that cause the catalyst to deactivate. Thus, the effluent fromoff-stream reactor 50 contains benzene as well as these byproducts,which can include polynuclear hydrocarbons, polyalkylated aromatics, andolefin oligomers. While reactor 50 is off-stream, valve 130 is open, sothat the effluent flows through line 54, line 126, valve 130, and line134. There is no flow through lines 128 and 136 when reactor 48 ison-stream since valve 132 is closed then, and thus the stream in line134 passes into line 106. Line 106 with its sample connection 108 thuscarries effluent from either or any off-stream reactor undergoingregeneration. When the flow of effluent in line 106 exceeds the desiredflow for passing to one and/or both of lines 110 and 114, then valve 63can be opened and some of the effluent flowing in line 106 can flow tobenzene column 70 through line 61, valve 63, and line 65. When valve 63is closed, regeneration effluent does not flow into line 61 but insteadflows through line 109 to the junction with lines 110 and 114.

Although either or both of valves 112 and 116 may be open when a reactorsuch as 50 is off-stream being regenerated, preferably at any timeduring the regeneration only one of valves 112 and 116 is open and theother is closed. More preferably and specifically for the previouslydescribed three-step regeneration method, when off-stream reactor 50 isundergoing the first regeneration heat-up step, the effluent of theoff-stream reactor 50 can pass to the on-stream reactor 48. Toaccomplish this, valve 116 is opened and valve 112 is closed. Thus, theeffluent of off-stream reactor 50 flows through line 54, line 126, valve130, line 134, line 106, line 109, line 114, valve 116, and line 118.After flowing through line 118, the effluent combines with a streamflowing in line 172 which contains benzene, C₁₀-C₁₅ paraffins andolefins, and possibly a minor amount of n-pentane to form the streamflowing in line 120. As previously described, the stream in line 120combines with the stream in line 89 to form the stream in line 30. Thus,at least a portion of the benzene in the effluent of the off-streamreactor 50 undergoing the first step of regeneration passes to theon-stream reactor 48.

When the first step of regeneration is completed, as determined byanalyses of the effluent at sample connection 108, the effluent of theoff-stream reactor 50 can pass to the off-stream sorbent bed 146undergoing desorption. To do this, valve 116 is closed and valve 112 isopened. During the second (hold) and third (cool-down) steps of thethree-step regeneration method, the effluent of off-stream reactor 50,after discharging from line 109, flows through line 110, valve 112, andline 140. If the flow of regeneration effluent through line 140 issufficient for desorption of off-stream sorbent bed 146, then there isno need to supplement the flow in line 140 with additional benzene frombenzene column 70. In that case, valve 102 is closed, and there is noflow of benzene through line 100, valve 102, and line 104. Accordingly,the regeneration effluent in line 140 flows through line 122, valve 142,and line 144, and into off-stream sorbent bed 146.

Usually, when an alkylation reactor, such as 50, is undergoingregeneration and its effluent is flowing to a sorbent bed such as 146that is undergoing desorption, the effluent of the alkylation reactorundergoing regeneration will provide a sufficient flow rate of benzeneto desorb the off-stream sorbent bed. If, however, no alkylation reactoris being regenerated, or if the rate of benzene flow from the alkylationreactor being regenerated to the sorbent bed undergoing desorption isinsufficient to desorb the sorbent bed, then benzene must be supplied tothe sorbent bed undergoing desorption from a source other than theeffluent of any alkylation reactor undergoing regeneration. In thesecircumstances, benzene is made available by opening valve 102 so thatbenzene flows through line 100, valve 102, and line 104. From there, thebenzene combines with the flow from line 140, if any, and flows to theoff-stream bed 146 via lines 122 and 144.

The effluent of sorbent bed 146 undergoing desorption flows through line148, valve 150, and line 152 to separation zone 154. The effluent of bed162 which is undergoing off-stream sorbent bed purging flows throughline 164, valve 166, and line 168, and also enters separation zone 154.Separation zone 154 separates the entering streams into a low-boilingstream in line 156 that contains the purge compound (e.g., n-pentane), ahigh-boiling stream in line 170 that contains aromatic byproductsdesorbed from the sorbent bed 146, and an intermediate-boiling stream inline 172 that contains benzene and paraffins and olefins that have beenpurged from sorbent bed 162. The low-boiling stream in line 156 isrecycled to sorbent bed 162, the high-boiling stream in line 170 isrejected from the process, and the intermediate boiling stream combineswith the stream flowing in line 118, if any, so that the paraffins andolefins in line 172 ultimately pass to the on-stream reactor 48. Thus,at least a portion of the benzene in the effluent of the off-streamreactor 50 undergoing the second and/or third steps of regeneration alsopasses to the on-stream reactor 48, albeit by way of the off-streamsorbent bed 146 and separation zone 154.

Separation zone 154 may be any arrangement of distillation columns knownto a person of ordinary skill in the art suitable for performing thisseparation, and this invention is not limited to any particularseparation zone 154. Typically, separation zone 154 comprises twodistillation columns in series. The stream flowing in line 152 passes toa first column, from which the stream flowing in line 170 is rejected asa bottom stream. The first column also produces an overhead stream,which passes to a second column along with the stream flowing in line168. The stream flowing through line 156 is recovered from the overheadof the second column, and the stream flowing in line 172 is recovered asa bottom stream from the second column.

In addition to rejecting aromatic byproducts from the process,separation zone 154 can also reject from the process the gum-likematerials including color bodies and/or olefinic compounds removed fromthe off-stream reactor 50, when the effluent of off-stream reactor 50passes to off-stream sorbent bed 146. It has been observed that attypical desorption conditions the gum-like materials are not sorbed onthe sorbent in off-stream sorbent bed 146. These relatively high-boilingcompounds can pass to separation zone 154, where they can be rejected inthe high-boiling stream in line 170 or in another high-boiling stream.Another method of rejecting these gum-like materials from the process,without passing the effluent of the off-stream reactor 50 to either theoff-stream sorbent bed 146 or to the conventional product recoveryfacilities 80, is to pass the effluent of off-stream reactor 50 toseparation zone 154. This is another more-direct way of rejecting thesegum-like materials in a high-boiling stream from separation zone 154.Thus, this invention can help prevent these gum-like materials frompassing to benzene column 70 and product recovery facilities 80.

By keeping these gum-like materials from entering benzene column 70 andproduct recovery facilities 80, this invention can improve the bromineindex of the alkylated product. Accordingly, in another embodiment, thisinvention is a process for controlling the bromine index of thealkylated product at a target specification or within a specified rangeby regulating the flow of off-stream reactor 50 effluent to off-streamsorbent bed 146. Production of high-quality alkylated product, having abromine index as measured by UOP Method 304-90 of less than 20,preferably of less than 10, can be controlled. Although low-qualityproduct is not normally desired, this invention can also be used tocontrol the production of alkylated product having a bromine index asmeasured by UOP Method 304-90 of greater than 20, of up to 100, or ofeven more than 100. Information on UOP Method 304-90, “Bromine Numberand Bromine Index of Hydrocarbons by Potentiometric Titration,” isavailable from ASTM International. It should be pointed out that thereare at least three other standard test methods for bromine index,including ASTM D 1492, “Bromine Index of Aromatic Hydrocarbons byCoulometric Titration;” ASTM D 5776, “Bromine Index of AromaticHydrocarbons by Electrometric Titration;” and ASTM D 2710, “BromineIndex of Petroleum Hydrocarbons by Electrometric Titration.” Informationon these ASTM methods is also available from ASTM International. UOPMethod 304-90 is not equivalent to each of these or other methods ofmeasuring bromine index, and therefore it is to be understood that theabove mentioned numerical values of bromine index are as measured by UOPMethod 304-90 only.

It is believed that the alkylated product of this invention has aSaybolt color of more than +25, preferably of +29 or more, and morepreferably +30 or more. Also, it is well known that improving thebromine index of the alkylated product leads to an improvement in theKlett color index of sulfonated alkylbenzenes produced therefrom.

Although in the preceding description alkylation reactor 48 is on-streamand alkylation reactor 50 is off-stream, the functions of the tworeactors may be switched. When alkylation reactor 48 is off-stream andalkylation reactor 50 is on-stream, the effluent of reactor 48 may bepassed to reactor 50 during certain periods of the regeneration ofreactor 48, as previously described for the case of alkylation reactor48 being on-stream and alkylation reactor 50 being off-stream. Thus,during regeneration of reactor 48, when valve 132 is open and valve 60is closed, the effluent of reactor 48 may pass through line 128, valve132, line 136, line 106, and line 109. With valve 112 closed and valve116 open, the effluent flows through line 114, valve 116, and line 118.From line 118, the effluent combines with the stream flowing in line 172and the combined stream in line 120, including benzene from theoff-stream reactor 48 effluent, ultimately flows to reactor 50 via lines30, 31, 34, 42, and 46. A sample of the effluent of reactor 48 may betaken for analysis at sample connection 108. When the regenerationeffluent of reactor 48 is passed to off-stream sorbent bed 146, valve112 is opened and valve 116 is closed, so that the effluent passesthrough line 110, valve 112, line 140, line 122, valve 142, and line 144to sorbent bed 146. As described previously, the effluent of sorbent bed146 flows to separation zone 154, and benzene recovered in line 172enters line 120 and ultimately passes to on-stream reactor 50.

1. A process for regenerating a solid catalyst, the catalyst havingdeposits formed by use in alkylating a feed aromatic with a feed olefin,the process comprising: a) contacting a solid catalyst having depositsthereon in an off-stream alkylation reactor with a feed aromatic at atemperature, recovering a regeneration effluent comprising the feedaromatic from the off-stream alkylation reactor, and passing at least aportion of the regeneration effluent comprising the feed aromatic to anon-stream alkylation reactor containing the solid catalyst; and b)increasing the temperature so that the regeneration effluent furthercomprises the deposits, passing at least a portion of the regenerationeffluent comprising the feed aromatic and the deposits to a bedcontaining a sorbent having aromatic compounds sorbed thereon to desorbthe aromatic compounds, recovering a desorption effluent from the bedwherein the desorption effluent comprises the feed aromatic, thearomatic compounds, and the deposits, separating at least a portion ofthe desorption effluent in a separation section into a light streamcomprising the feed aromatic and a heavy stream comprising the depositsand the aromatic compounds, and passing at least a portion of the lightstream comprising the feed aromatic to the on-stream alkylation reactor.2. The process of claim 1 further comprising lowering the temperature sothat the regeneration effluent does not comprise the deposits.